Faith Curriculum Library: Tapestry of Faith: Creating Home: A Program on Developing a Sense of Home Grounded in Faith for Grades K-1

Closing

Part of Creating Home

Activity time: 5 minutes

Materials for Activity

  • Chalice candle or LED/battery-operated candle
  • Lighter and extinguisher, if needed
  • Labyrinth, with participants' name stones placed on it
  • Basket for name stones
  • Optional: Index cards or post-its, bold marker, and tape

Preparation for Activity

  • Review Hymn 1008 in Singing the Journey, "When Our Heart Is in a Holy Place." Decide whether you prefer to have the children sing or recite the chorus words to close this session. If you will need the words and/or music to lead the group, place a copy of Singing the Journey near your chalice.
  • Customize, print out, and photocopy the Taking It Home section for all participants.
  • If you have a Word Wall, write the words "chalice" and "symbol" with bold marker on index cards or post-its.

Description of Activity

Gather the group in a circle around the labyrinth. Relight the chalice. Invite the children to take their stones from the labyrinth, place them in the basket, and return to the circle.

If you have a Word Wall, say:

The words for our World Wall today are "chalice" and "symbol."

Show the group the index cards or post-its on which you have written "chalice" and "symbol." Post them on the Word Wall, or ask a volunteer to do it.

Ask a few volunteers to help you fold or roll the labyrinth and put it away.

Next, invite everyone to hold hands and sing just the chorus to "When Our Heart Is in a Holy Place," Hymn 1008 in Singing the Journey.

If you prefer, invite participants to recite the words to the song:

When our heart is in a holy place,

When our heart is in a holy place.

We are blessed with love and amazing grace.

When our heart is in a holy place.

Say in your own words:

Today we talked about the faith symbols of our Unitarian Universalist faith home. We learned about the chalice and the two, connecting circles surrounding the chalice. We learned an important hymn and we designed our own faith symbols.

Each of you is an important connection in our group circle. I'm glad you were here and I look forward to having you cross the threshold again next time."

Extinguish the chalice.

Distribute the Taking It Home handout you have prepared. Remind the children to give the handout to their parents, and dismiss the group.